


The Thief

by LunaFoxx



Series: The Heart and Mind [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal Life, Depression, F/M, M/M, Multi, No Phantom Thieves, Slow Build, Tag as Story Goes Along, Tags Contain Spoilers, This is gonna be a long one boys and girls, Unhealthy Habits, eventually, smut will happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-02 17:57:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17268764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaFoxx/pseuds/LunaFoxx
Summary: Akira Kurusu finds himself moving to Shibuya after graduating high school. Difficulties back at home has caused this to happen. How will his new life here turn out?This story will follow the main plotline of the video game, just altered differently to fit the Normal Life AU.





	1. Let's Start Over, World

**Author's Note:**

> Akira is on a train, making his way to the lovely district of Shibuya, ready to start over.

“We will be arriving at our next stop soon. The next stop is Yogen-Jaya. I repeat, we will arrive at Yogen-Jaya soon.”

A mechanical, preppy sounding woman was announcing the station names while the passengers were riding the train. One boy in particular has gotten use to the voice. His name is Akira Kurusu. He’s been checking his phone, making sure that he was getting off at the right stop. Akira has been riding trains most of the day. He’s been getting off, stop after stop. Most of the stops has been easy to transfer, usually the next platform he had to get to was in the same station, but when he got out at Shibuya, he was amazed.

He knew Tokyo was large. He’s seen the photos of massive amount people crossing the pedestrian crossing in Shibuya, but to experience it was something else. People were everywhere, checking their phones, or dragging along their tired bodies across the street, not alarmed by the gigantic buildings that surrounded the area. There were high schoolers bouncing along as they chatted about what happened during the day, business people discussing loudly about new opportunities, parents gripping their children’s hand to ensure that they cross without losing each other, loners walking with their headphones in, ignoring everyone, it was overwhelming to say the least. Akira was awestruck. This was his first time in Shibuya. He’s never been in a city so large before. He gripped his bag closer to his body and kept darting his eyes between the screen on his phone, and the signs leading to the next train station.

He came here today because he was meeting up with a man. The man that he was going to meet is named Sojiro. Sojiro has sent him directions to follow a couple days before. From the way he sent the directions, he made it seem so easy to be able to navigate around. Either by pure luck, or by the guidance of a divine power, Akira made it to the right train, and was heading to his finally stop on this long journey.

While the train was making its way to his stop, Akira’s mind began to drift. A tall, man with slicked-back black hair was talking to him while they were standing in the doorway of Akira’s home.

“Hey kid, when you graduate high school, you can come live with me. I can help you out.” That line filled Akira with a glimmer of hope. ‘Can I really start over?’  
“Yogen-Jaya. I repeat, we have arrived at Yogen-Jaya.”

The curly haired boy almost missed the announcement. He has gotten so use to the mechanical voice due to his prolong exposure to it all day. He snaps out of his thoughts and gather his belongings and gets off the train.

Following the directions, he was able to find his way to the backstreets of Yogen-Jaya, where he was supposed to be meeting Sojiro, however, he wasn’t there. Starting to worry that he was in the wrong area, Akira started asking around. He was relieved to have made it to the right area and was even more relieved when he was standing in front of his house. Akira looked at the name placard, and it read “Sakura Residence”. He rang, but no one answered. He ranged again, and still no answer. A delivery boy came up and saw Akira standing there.

“Aw, I see you’re trying to get Sakura-san as well. Yeah, I usually come here first to see if he is home. He may be at his café though.”

“He… owns a café?” Akira awkwardly stammered. Sojiro didn’t tell him that before. The delivery boy gave him directions and the name of the café in question. After that, he wished him good luck, and looked back to his list.

“So, La Blanc, huh?” Akira followed the directions given to him, and he was soon in front of the café. It was a bit hard to find. There was nothing there to make it standout that much. There was just a sign saying “La Blanc” on it, it could have been easily missed.

When he walked in, the first thing that greeted him was the chime of a bell, and the strong aroma of coffee. It wasn’t too overpowering, but it was very calming. The atmosphere felt really welcoming. There were not many things making noises, just the tv that was playing at a low volume and an older couple chatting with what looks to be the owner.

It took a minute for the owner to realize that someone walked in. he turned to greet them.

“Hello, welcome to… oh! Shoot… was that today?” It took a moment to process things, but Akira finally recognized the slicked-back hair and the figure. He has found the man he’s been looking for. The Sojiro walked over to Akira and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I’m glad to see that you made it here alright. You didn’t get too lost did you? Sorry I wasn’t at the spot I said I would be at.” He looked apologetically at Akira, and he could tell the man was being sincere.

“I was fine. T-thank you for offering me a place to stay… I’m really grateful.”

“No problem kid…” There was a bit of silence, and Sojiro took the initiative to continue the conversation. “Hey, let’s formally introduce ourselves. My name is Sojiro Sakura.” Akira took this time to examine the man closely. He looks similar to what he looked like when he last saw him about a year ago. Sojiro was kind of tall, and he was somewhat skinny. Akira could tell he takes time to do his hair and whatnot. Sojiro’s hair was shining due to the gel that was in it. He looked to be old, but not too old. He would guess in his late 30’s to early 40’s. After examining him, Akira straighten up and introduced himself.

“I’m Akira Kurusu, it’s a pleasure to meet you on more friendly terms.”

“Yeah… Your parents really weren’t at their best at the dinner, were they?”

“Yeah… I guess so…” a silence began to fill the space between them, as they relived the memories of that awkward dinner a year ago.

“… Hey, listen… let’s get you upstairs, alright? I know things may seem sudden, but maybe unpacking will help you clear your mind.” Sojiro pointed towards the staircase that was off to the side. He ushered Akira to go first. They then started to ascend the staircase.

“So, here we are, your new room. I’m sorry that it’s a bit messy, but I really don’t get much time to come up here and reorganize.” A ‘bit messy’ is an understatement. Akira was, to say at the very least, surprised by what was going to be his “room”. The room was very cluttered. There was stuff everywhere. The room felt stuffy, breathing was a bit difficult. There was dust everywhere and it clogged Akira’s nose. There was stuff scattered all throughout the room. A lot of the stuff looked to have been up in the room for a long time, that was evident by all the cobwebs and dusts caked on the objects. Sojiro noticed the shocked look on Akira’s face and rubbed the back of his neck. “I know you were probably expecting something mor-”

“This is fine, sir.” Akira quickly blurted out. He’s honestly grateful for what’s given to him. Anything is better than where he was living at before this. He’ll gladly take this room, despite the condition it’s in.

“Heh, there’s no need to be so formal. Anyway, I would have offered you a room at my house, but there are certain circumstances that are, umm… not letting me do that at the moment. Sorry, but this was the best I could do. So, for the time being, you can stay here. There’s a futon on the other side of the room, and there’s outlets that are still usable. I will allow you to move things around as you wish. It’s perfectly fine with me.” Suddenly, a medium sized box stood out to Akira. It had his name on it, and it was not covered with dust like the rest of the things in the room.

“Ah yes, this box you sent came in a couple of days ago.” Sojiro walked over to the box. “It’s pretty light. Did I send you enough money to pack everything you needed? This was the only box that came.” The older man looked questioningly at Akira. The boy responded by looking sheepishly down towards the ground.  
“I just packed my clothes and hygiene products… I can handle the rest later when I get money.” When Akira told his parents he was leaving, they showed no resistance to his decision. They rushed him along and made sure he was out as soon as possible. Akira walked over to the box and placed his hand on it. Sojiro could tell that something was up, and he felt the need to comfort the poor boy.  
“Look, I know things may seem bad at the moment, but it will all turn around. I offered you a place to stay so that you can get a new start at life. Think of this as a redo, ok? I know your past can’t be erased, but hey, look at it like this. You’re in a new town, with new people.” Akira kept quiet. His hand was still placed on the box, and he avoided looking towards Sojiro as he went on. The man wanted to say more to comfort the boy, but a bell sound chimed from downstairs, and it caught both of their attentions. “I’m going to head back down. I’ll come back up when I’m closing up shop. Do as you wish for the time being.” At that, Sojiro headed back downstairs and attended to some customers that came in.

Akira was now left alone, in what is now his room. He doesn’t know how to feel. He thinks to himself, ‘should I feel relieved that I’m here, or scared? Am I nervous for what is to come?’ He mainly feels empty. There’s nothing there to feel. However, he knows that standing around and doing nothing will bring about nothing. The first thing on his list is to check through his box. He goes through it and checks through everything. All that he has packed is in there. There isn’t much in there to begin with. There’s are some change of clothes for him, body wash, and two sticks of deodorant. ‘there wasn’t much I could have brought with me.’ After that, he went about with the rest of the room.

First thing he did was dust everything. He was lucky enough to find a duster to use and started to dust everything. He opened the window to make it easier to push the dust outside the house. After dusting he started moving things. While he was moving stuff, he found a few good items, like a slow cooker and a space heater, perfect for when the weather starts getting colder. He discovered a bookshelf and started to organize the books that he came across as he was cleaning. He uncovered a work desk and was able to clear out a surprisingly big space for himself. Most of the stuff he found was garbage, so he was able to bag the trash up and have it ready to throw out.

He was cleaning for a long time, by the time he had gotten the futon cleaned, it was night outside. Akira heard footsteps coming up the stairs and soon, Sojiro’s head popped up.

“Hey Akira, I’m about to- Oh.” Sojiro got to the top of the stairs and surveyed the room in its entirely. It looked like an entirely different room. The floor was clear, items were put into neat piles on the side. The futon was cleared off and was ready to be used. “You cleaned up a bit I see. You can actually get to the futon without needing to step over things now.”

“Yeah…” Akira pointed to a tarp laying on the ground off to the side. “uh, the things I did not know what to do with, I moved them into a pile.”  
Sojiro chuckled warmly and looked at the pile that the boy was pointing at. “Don’t worry, we’ll go through it together. Most of it is garbage, so we can get rid of it one day” Sojiro smiled at Akira, making sure he knew he did a great job with the attic. Akira smiled a bit back, but then turned his gaze down. Now that he was done, his thoughts were going back to filling his head. Sojiro notices this and tries to bring Akira’s attention back to him. 

“You’re not a bad kid, Akira. I can tell you’re still dwelling on it.” Akira shook his head and replied without making eye contact with the older man.  
“I was outcasted as one though.” The words came out before Akira could stop them. He quickly shook his head and apologetically nodded towards Sojiro. “Sorry, I’m still getting use to this. I’m just, a bit overwhelmed right now. I was surprised when you offered me a place…”

Sojiro placed his hands on his hips. “I read about your case. You pushed a man that you thought was attacking a woman. Your judgement was off and you simply misread the situation. That was why you did not get put in jail. All you got was probation. It’s a simple misunderstanding gone wrong. However, people in your town did not see it as that.” 

Akira stayed silent as Sojiro rattled all of that off. He knew what he saw, but no one else was there to witness the truth. He knew Sojiro was wrong, but he was so tired of trying to speak the truth. Sojiro continued. “You need a restart, kid. Your family… wasn’t really the best at handing the situation.” Sojiro rubbed the back of his head, and looked down to the ground. He wasn’t the best at comforting, and the silence was really bothering him. He just wanted Akira to feel like he was safe now. “So…” he said suddenly, hoping to break the silence. “Just to let you know, you won’t be lodging here for free. You will start working for me tomorrow, ok? I will show you the ropes to La Blanc.” This pulled Akira out of his depressing stupor. The boy then tilted his head to the side in confusion. Sojiro took this as a sign of surprise and continued on. “Don’t look so surprised. I accept that you want to take the year off before going to college to gather your thoughts, but you’ve got to at least do something while you’re thinking. Did you think I would allow you to daydream for a year?”

Akira shook his head. “It’s not that… I just didn’t expect to be working so quickly.”  
Sojiro nodded and chuckeled at the boy. “It’s fine, besides, La Blanc is easy to handle. We’ll start off easy. You should probably go to sleep for tonight. I usually open up shop around 7am, but I will allow you to sleep til 8:30am. I’ll lock up tonight, alright.”

“I understand… Thank you again, sir.”

“Heh, did you already forget… It’s not sir, that’s too formal. Just call me Sojiro, alright.”

“Alright, sorry.”

Sojiro looked at the poor boy and said his good-byes for the night one last time. He went downstairs, turned off the lights, and then left, locking up for the night. Akira took this as the time to get ready for bed. He searched through the box and found his pajamas. He got dressed and turned off the lights. Feeling his way to his bed, he got in it and got comfortable. Akira was once again, alone, alone with his thoughts.

At first, the thoughts were hazy and unclear. He thought about the night when he heard the screams of a woman, trying to defend herself. He was filled with the rage of wanting to help her. He pushed the man and was threatened with a lawsuit. Akira wasn’t afraid when he first heard it, but he had no idea the power this man held in his hands. Then came the judge, who place upon the sentence of a year probation. After that, more thoughts came flooding his mind. Thoughts of the shame in everyone’s eyes. The judging eyes of those he thought he could trust. Those he used to call friends, now turn their backs on him, leaving him to suffer alone. His family became more distant, wanting nothing to do with their “problematic child”. The shame, the anger, the isolation. It all filled his head like white noise. It became over-bearing. It was so much at once.

Akira realized he had closed his eyes, and immediately opened them back up. He looked around him and all he saw was darkness and the subtle blinking light of his phone. He has received a message from someone.

His hand darted towards the phone and he saw that multiple messages came from Sojiro. 

**Sojiro:** _9:30 pm:_ Hey kid, this is Sojiro. Just wanted to make sure that things were ok. I tried calling the corded phone downstairs, but you didn’t answer. I just wanted to let you know that it does work and that you can use it whenever you want.

**Sojiro:** _10:12 pm:_ I’m going to assume that you fell asleep. Well, anyway, I will see you in the morning. Have a good night kid.  


Akira looked at the time and saw that it was currently 1:29 in the morning. He has passed out and slept without realizing it. Akira sat the phone down and laid on his back, looking up at the ceiling. He listened to his surroundings but heard nothing much going on. All that was there, was the subtle drone of the AC blowing air around the room. 

“Huh… Silence again… It’s already starting to feel like home.” And with that, Akira turned to his side and fell back asleep. This time, at least, it was a dreamless one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congratulations for making it through the first chapter. I will apologize now, this is my first fan-fiction that I have written and feel confident in posting.  
> I just have to say, this game has changed my life for the better. Hell, it has given me the inspiration to write an elaborate story such as this! So, I really hope that you all really enjoy this story.  
> As for a posting schedule, I don't really have one up yet. I am a college student that just so happens to be on break right now. So, at the moment, I can post more until I have to go back. I will try yo post again before the end of the week.  
> Until next time!
> 
> (P.S. as for story length... So far, I have 53 chapters outlined. It's gonna be a long one.)


	2. I Love the Smell of Coffee in the Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new life begins. Akira wakes to a new day, and starts working in La Blanc

A bright light started streaming in from the window above Akira’s head. On a normal day, this would not have bothered Akira. He would have slept in and tried his best to avoid interactions with anyone outside of his room. However, things were different now.

Akira found that he roused more easily by the lights coming in. This was probably due to the nightmare that he had earlier the night before. He also felt that things were different from normal. He opened his eyes and noticed that he was in a new place. The place was dimly lit, due to the sun that was slowly rising outside of the attic window. Dust was shimmering and was floating peacefully around the room. There was also a bit of commotion was happening downstairs. The small banging of pots and pans, and the smell of coffee and some food was rising into the attic.

Akira laid there and surveyed the room absentmindedly. He was in a bit of shock, as he was trying to remember how he got there. He was not use to his new environments yet. Soon, the events of yesterday caught up to him, and he remembered where he was now.  
_‘This… this is really happening. I’m not home anymore.’_

Akira let that thought run through his head for a bit. It was amazing how everything was happening so fast. He honestly didn’t now how he should feel right now.  
One thing was for certain though, he was free. Well, free from his parents, at least.  
Now came real life.

After laying around for a bit, Akira reaches for his phone to see what time it was. It was very early. The screen read 6:18 am, way before the time Sojiro said he would be coming up to wake him. Akira juggled the thought of going back to sleep a bit before eventually deciding to get up and get dressed. There was no way he could sleep now. His mind was too awake. He was also nervous and excited to see how his first day on the job will be for him.  
After getting into some daytime clothes, he went down the staircase, ready to start his day.

 

Sojiro was in the kitchen cooking something that smelled incredible. He did not realize that Akira was down there until the fluffy haired boy was sitting at one for the stools.

“Hey kiddo. It’s only 6:30, what are you doing up so early?” the older man asked.

“Heh… I don’t really know. Maybe it’s the new environment.” Though that was only partially true. Akira chose to keep the full truth concealed. He didn’t want to talk much on the real reasons for now. “Anyway, there’s no reason for me to really go back to sleep now. Should we get started?” Akira perked up in his chair and did his best to put on the airs of confidence.

Sojiro can see through the façade though, but he did not want to pry too much into the boy’s mind, at least not right now. Instead, he smiled and went back to the task at hand. “Heh, I guess we can. But first, you need to eat some breakfast. Here, have some curry. I made it myself.” He soon dished out a large helping of curry and rice for Akira.

Akira was a bit intimidated by the helping made for him. He usually wasn’t the type to eat much in the morning. But, not wanting to seem rude in front of the man who is giving him a new life, he picked up the spoon and started eating the curry.

All it took was one bite, and Akira was over the moon. The curry had so much flavor, he couldn’t believe how wonderful it tasted. It was the right amount of spice to make it have a kick, but not too spicy. He quickly scarfed down a few more bites before making a comment about it to Sojiro.

“Woah! This curry is wonderful!”

Sojiro beamed at the compliment. “Haha, it is, isn’t it! It’s a secret recipe. Maybe if you work hard, I'll teach you one day. But for right now, eat. We have a big day ahead of us.” He prepared his plate and leaned on the counter eating his with Akira. They ate somewhat silently, occasionally making comments about things, while the news was playing in a low volume. After they were done with their meal, they cleaned up, and set up the café for the day that was to come.

 

“Alright!” The older man exclaimed after they finished wiping the last table in the café. Sojiro went back behind the counter and motioned for Akira to follow behind him. “Now that the café is prepared, let’s teach you how to make a simple cup of coffee. Ever made coffee before?”

“Yeah, I made a few cups.”

“Was it with a coffee maker. Or did you do it by hand?”

“It was with a coffee maker.”

“Figures, not many people do it by hand nowadays.” Sojiro sighed and started taking some equipment out from under the counter. “I will be teaching you how to do it by hand. As you can see, there’s no coffee maker in this café.” Akira eyes grew in shock as Sojiro took out more and more stuff as he continued. “I do everything by hand here. From grinding the beans, to making the cup itself.” Sojiro finished taking things out and straighten up. He looked over and nearly lost it because of the scared expression plastered on the young man’s face. After successfully silencing his laugh with a smile, Sojiro grabbed some coffee beans and grabbed the grinder. “Here, let me show you the first step.”

 

It took some time, more time than what Akira would like to admit, but he finally made his first cup of coffee by hand. The fluffy haired kid was surprised by what all went into a cup of coffee, and by how many steps it took to do it. Akira, however, managed it in the end. There in front of him was a cup of coffee.

“And, there we go, your first cup of coffee.”

“Woah, that was a lot of work.”

“Heh, don’t worry about it too much. With some practice, I’m sure you will make coffee like a pro.” Sojiro patted the boy’s back, then gestured towards the cup in front of him. “Go on, taste it.”

“Huh, it tastes pretty good. Guess I didn’t do that bad of a job.”

“Better than a machine, right?” the older man said, grinning as wide as a mile.

“Heh, I guess you’re right.”

“Hey, while you’re here working for me, I ought to teach you a trick to pick up girls with coffee.” Akira chuckled a bit at that statement. He finished up his coffee and cleaned the equipment before some customers started to arrive.

 

The morning went by smoothly and very quickly. Since Akira was still new to making coffee, Sojiro just had him washing dishes and taking orders from the customers. Sojiro’s regulars were surprised by Akira, so the older man had a lot of introducing to do. Most of the regulars were older men and women, but there was one man that stood out from the rest. He looked to be in his early thirties and presented himself in a posh manner. He walked in and sat at one of the stools at the counter area. When Akira came to take his order, the customer gawked and started talking to Sojiro.

“Say Boss, I didn’t know you made enough money to hire employees.” Sojiro glared at him with feigned annoyance at the man’s comment. 

“Listen here, this place is successful. I mean, you come here every day it seems like.”

“Heh, only because the coffee is somewhat decent. Also, you’re close by. I don’t have to travel as far.” the man jokingly jabbed. Akira could tell that the man was not serious by his comments. The man spoke with a playful tone and seemed to be in a joyful mood. Sojiro also didn’t seem particularly perturbed by the man’s comments.

“Anyway, he’s a bit of a special case. I am helping him out. He’s a friend to the family. Introduce yourself Akira.” Akira straightened up and prepared to introduce himself to the man.

“Hello Sir, my name is Akira Kurusu. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“A polite one, I see. I hope you have more manners than Boss here.”

“Hey now!! I have manners!” the man and Sojiro bickered back and forth for a moment. Akira sat back and watch them playfully argue. The other customers watched with humor, as this seemed to be the normal interactions between the two men.

One thing the man said struck Akira as a bit weird. He called him ‘Boss’. This puzzled the boy a bit. He noticed that a few other of Sojiro’s regulars called him Boss as well. This peaked his interest.

“Say… Sojiro… mind if I ask a question?”

This caught Sojiro’s attention, and he turned away from the posh man. “Sure, go ahead.”

“Everyone that comes in here calls you ‘Boss’… Any particular reason?”  
Sojiro ran his fingers through his beard as he thought about how to answer. He looked away in the distance, searching in a far-off memory. “Well, I guess it’s because I brought this place up by myself.”

“You did? You didn’t inherit it or anything?”

“Nope, this place is all me, kid. I used to work for the government, but I stopped after some time. I wanted to change my life around. I was always good with coffee, so I thought about creating a café of sorts. I used the money I earned and bought this place. It took a bit, but eventually, I was able to make this place profitable.”  
It was at this moment that the playful customer decided to chime in with some commentary, “Yeah, barely, Boss only gets a few customers a day.” This earned the man yet another glare from the older gentleman.

“Want to make that one less customer?”

“Ha! You know I’m just messing with ya, Boss.”

Akira chuckled at his reaction and this caught the attention of both arguing men. “Heh, you have such a good relationship with your regulars, Sojiro.”

The customer wanted to get one more jab towards Sojiro. “Are you kidding? This man is not what comes to mind when you think of ‘exceptional customer service’.” This led to another playful argument before the gentleman left for the day. After he left, Sojiro handed the dishes the man left to Akira.

“Heh, you might as well get use to him acting like that. We go at it from time to time, but all in good fun. Some of these customers have been here since day one. We joke and whatnot, but that’s business for ya.” Akira could only imagine how long this café have been open. Seeing as how some of the regulars act towards Sojiro, he can make a guess and say it has been open for a pretty long time.

 

The day has been going by a lot quicker than what Akira imagined it would go. A few more customers came in from time to time, mostly regulars. Sojiro explained that he doesn’t really advertise, so getting new customers is very rare. Usually new people find this place by word of mouth.

It was about afternoon when someone else striking walked into the café. It was a girl in a school uniform. She had extremely long, messy orangish hair, and wore really big glasses. They seem to block out most of the features of her face. When she walked in, Sojiro jumped up from the crossword puzzle he was solving.

“Ah, Futaba, school’s done for the day, I see. Time flew by quickly today. Come on in. I have some curry cooking for ya.” She nodded and sat down at the counter. While Sojiro was dishing out the food, Akira walked over to Futaba.

“Hello, is there anything you would like to drink with your food?”

“…” She kept her head down, and made no visible effort to look at Akira, nor answer his question. Akira was a bit confused and asked again, however, there was still no answer from her. Just silence.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Sojiro came with the plate of food and a can of soda from the fridge. He placed it in front of her, and she immediately started eating the food in silence.  
Akira found it a bit strange that she did not seem to interact at all with him, but she somehow was able to interact with Sojiro. The boy took this moment to question Sojiro about the strange girl.

“Sojiro, who is she?”

“Oh, she’s a girl I’m taking care of. Her name is Futaba. How about you introduce yourself Futaba?”

“…” she continued to eat her food in silence. After a couple of minutes, she finished her food, and got up from the counter area. Sojiro wish her safe travels and that he would see her at home later. She nodded and left the café as she entered it, in silence.  
Akira was more than just a bit confused by what just happened. Sojiro could tell he was confused and apologetically looked at the poor boy.

“I apologize for her. She’s a bit… shy.”

“I can see that. She never said a word to me at all.”

“Don’t take it personally. She’s like that with everyone. It just takes her some time to come around to new people.” After that, he handed the dishes to Akira, who took them and washed them as he tried to process what just happened.

 

Soon, it was nighttime. The clock read 7:30 pm, and the last of the customers finished their meals and left for the day. 

“Ah… it’s time to close up shop. Akira, how about you start by cleaning the booths, and then start washing up the dishes. I’ll help you out after I’m done with the counter.” 

They both got onto their tasks and started tidying up.

It didn’t take long. Soon, Sojiro was standing in the doorway. He has flipped the sign to close and was looking towards Akira with something in his hands.

“Here’s the keys to the café. Make sure to turn the open sign to close before you lock up for the night. For now on, you will be locking up for me, alright?”

Akira reached out and grabbed the keys. “Yeah, understood.”

“So, how was your first day? Does it seem like a lot of work.”

“I was nervous at first, but I think I can get the hang of this. It’s not as hard as I thought it would be.”

“Well, that’s good. This is your first time working for someone, so I didn’t want to overwhelm you with work. As time go by, I’ll have you do more and more things. As for your pay, well…” Sojiro reached into his pocket and gave Akira a small amount of cash. Looked to be about 3,200 yen. “I can only pay you minimum wage, somewhat like a part-timer ok? Sorry, it’s all I can give.”

Akira humbly accepted the money and put it in his pocket. “That’s fine, Sojiro. I appreciate what you’re doing for me” And he truly did. Not only was he living in a place where he didn’t have to pay rent, but he was also making a little money on the side. Not many people would get opportunities like this.

“Well, I wish you a good night, ok? Make sure you lock up tight.”

“I will. Have a good evening Sojiro.” With that, Sojiro left.

Akira, once again, was alone. It was strange, how the day went. He was actually interacting with someone else for an entire day. For the first time in a long time, he wasn’t alone. He wasn’t by himself, with just his thoughts accompanying him. He had someone to talk to.

For the first time, he didn’t feel isolated.

He locked up for the night turned off all the lights downstairs. After that, he headed  
upstairs and got ready for bed. Once he was in the bed, he laid there and thought about what all happened today. For once, there wasn’t disappointed looks towards him. He wasn’t isolated from others.

He was finally included. 

He felt like he belonged.

“That wasn’t bad. I don’t have anything to worry about while I’m here, it seems.”  
With that, he turned over and went to sleep, reliving the day he had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the positivity from the last chapter. I'm so grateful that people are loving this so far!  
> I know a few people might be a bit confused by why Futaba is showing up so early, but I wanted to try something new. I hope this doesn't faze a lot of you. Trust me, this series will be following the events somewhat closely to the game.
> 
> I'm working really hard on the next few chapters, and since I don't start going back to classes until the 14th, I'm going to be putting out a lot more chapters than what I would be able to.
> 
> If everything goes as planned, I will have Chapter 3 published by Sunday.
> 
> Thank you for your support, and I will see you all again soon.
> 
>  
> 
> P.S. All of this is un-Beta'd. If there is a mistake, please PM me, or let me know, so that I can fix this. I'm a bit of a perfectionist.  
> Thank you in advance!


	3. A Hermit Crab in the Making

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been about a week since Akira has moved in and started working at La Blanc. He has fallen into a routine and is very comfortable with it. Sojiro, on the other hand, is getting very worried for Akira.

“Heh, gotta say kid, you seem to be handling things pretty well. It’s only been a week since you got here. Now look at you!” 

Akira has been doing great, working the café. He’s almost as good as Sojiro is when it comes to making the coffee.

“Heh, guess I learned from the best, haven’t I?” the raven-haired boy said as he was finishing up with a customer’s order. Akira has become quiet the barista. It only took a couple of days, but Akira learned quickly what it took to perform his job. He can handle all sorts of orders, from the most basic coffee and creamer order, to the most complicated order a person can think up.

Not only that, Akira has been experimenting as well. At night, after Sojiro leaves for the day, Akira practices with some of the coffee beans, as well as make new mixtures to see how well they come out. In the mornings, he shows Sojiro what he has done, and has him critic each blend. A teacher-student relationship has formed between the two men, and it always brightens Sojiro’s heart when he sees Akira’s eyes light up when making a really good blend. Sojiro has even allowed Akira to sell them to the customers as well. The boy is taking a lot of pride in his newly acquired craft.

“Heh, you can make your own blends. And adding onto that, the customers are loving your presence here. I can say that business has even picked up a little.” The older man commented. And he is not wrong for making that assumption. More and more customers have started coming to the restaurant. Sojiro can only assume that his regulars are spreading the word about Akira being there. Either way, he is benefitting from it. 

It also may be the fact that Akira has this warm and comforting aura that surrounds him, as well as his way with words. Akira seems to has this affinity for attracting people towards him. The first couple of days working, Akira was too nervous to say anything else other than ‘May I take your order’ and ‘Here you go’. Now, the young man is holding long conversations with customers. Sojiro has sat and observed the boy a few times, and the only thing he can say about it is that Akira has a lot of charisma.

Akira is a great listener and seems to know what to say, no matter the circumstance. Whenever a person comes in and they look to be having a bad day, Akira walks up and starts conversation. It only takes minutes for the person to then start spouting their problems to them, and Akira sits and listens. He does so with a caring attitude. May be it’s because Akira had a rough time before coming to Shibuya that is the cause of his caring attitude. Whatever it is, people feel as though they can be completely free with the boy. Afterwards, Akira consults them, and he makes them feel as though everything will be ok, no matter how dire the situation may be. He’s become a ray of light in the dark.

Sojiro has become quite proud of the boy and how much progress he has made, but there are some things that have become concerning for the old man. Akira has seemed to become extremely settled in his new environment. And by settle, he means the boy seems to always be in the shop. 

Akira has developed a routine, a routine that even he has failed to noticed. His life revolves around working and sleeping. When he’s not doing either of the two, he is using his free time to develop his skills to better his performance for work.  
This is becoming a big concern for Sojiro. He wanted the boy to start a new life, yet the boy seems to be settling for what’s given to him, instead of going out and seeing what’s out there. Sojiro waited til it was about midday to bring this up. Less people come in during this time, and this was a conversation he wanted to have alone.

“Say kid, have you been going outside, like at all?” Akira looked away from the tv screen that he has zoned into and was startled by the sudden question. It took a minute for the question to sink in and for Akira to come up with a response.

“Huh? What do you mean Sojiro?”

“Your skin,” Sojiro pointed to Akira’s luminating arms, “it’s been getting pale.” Akira took a to examine his arms. He can see why Sojiro made that statement. His skin seemed to have lighten up since he has moved into the attic. He doesn’t really spend anytime around a window. During the day, he spends his day behind the counter, which is shrouded in darkness most of the time. And he does his best to keep the curtains closed, blocking out the sunlight when it tries to pierce his windows in the morning.

“Yeah…” his voice is shaky when he is answering the older gentleman. He feels as though he has done something wrong, but he has done nothing. “I guess you’re- “ 

Sojiro interrupts with a stern voice before Akira can continue. “And I’ve only seen you in the café. You know, the reason I’ve given you the key so you can go out at night.”

Akira made an exasperated noise through his nose and nodded. “I know, but I haven’t found a reason to go out really. Besides, I’m comfortable with how things are now.” And that was the truth. He didn’t have any friends to talk to back at home. So, he was just by himself, and he was alright with that. He has gotten use to being alone. He just wanted to focus on work, and keep the dark thoughts away. What was wrong with that?

Well, Sojiro saw the flaw in that. Working yourself to exhaustion, or just ignoring what’s going on in the outside world was not good for one’s health.  
“Kid, that’s not good for your mental state. You need to go out, Akira.” He wants Akira to heal, and the first step to that is building new connections and destroying the old ones.

The bell rang, letting both the men know that someone walked in the café. It was time to get back to work. Akira waved off the last comment Sojiro made. He knew what he was doing. The old man was just worrying too much. “I’m fine Sojiro. Please, don’t worry so much about me. Everything is alright.”  
Sojiro wanted to say more, but he had to get back to work himself.

 

The day continued on as normal, and with a steady flow of people coming in, there was no opportunity available to talk more about what was said earlier. Soon, night came, and it was time to close up shop. Sojiro once again tried to bring up his concerns, but Akira shot them down and assured the older man that he was fine. Seeing how useless it was to try to harp more on this, Sojiro just focused on finishing up for the night.

Sojiro finished up and said his goodbyes to Akira. While he was walking to his home, he was thinking of ways he could possibly get the boy out of the café. A couple of ideas came to mind, and he knew what he would have to do.

“Hmp, I’m gonna get that kid out of the house.” He said to himself as he walked in his home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akira is me when it comes to certain things.
> 
> Anyway, my (preferred) upload schedule for this week is Wednesday and Saturday.
> 
> See you in the next chapter!


	4. Coffee or Protein Shakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sojiro is breaking Akira's routine. He forces him out of the café for a day. so, Akira starts looking for a new hobby.

Akira wakes up, ready to start the day like he normally does. He came up with another really good blend that he was dying to try out with the customers today. He got dressed and went downstairs. Sojiro was already downstairs with a newspaper in his hands. The TV was on, and the smell of Sojiro’s mouthwatering curry was already in the pot cooking. Excited for the day, Akira went and grabbed his apron off the hook.

“Put the apron away, Akira.” Sojiro suddenly spat out in a monotone voice. The voice seemed a bit louder than normal, thanks to the already quiet environment of the café. This shook the raven-haired boy, and he jumped from the suddenness of it.

With a shaky voice, Akira responded questionably to the command given to him. “Huh? Why?”

“You have the day off.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I meant what I meant. You have the day off. I’m also kicking you out for the day.” Sojiro said, without even lifting his eyes away from the paper that he was reading.

Shocked and confused by what was happening, Akira went on to question the older man some more. “What the?! But why?”

“You spend too much time here. It’s been about a week since you’ve moved here. Admit it, you haven’t stepped foot outside of La Blanc, haven’t you?”

“You don’t know that! I may have gone on a couple of night walks!” Akira bluffed, hoping that this would deter the older man’s thoughts.

“Oh really?” This made Sojiro look above his paper to stare at Akira. “Then, where’s the bathhouse located around here?”

Feeling the heat leave his body, Akira responded with a blank expression. “There’s… a bathhouse near here?” He’s been called out on his bluff.

“Akira, after you eat breakfast, I want you out of the house for the rest of the day.” Sojiro paused for a bit as another thought enter his mind. “You know what, until you start going to college, after 3:30 pm and until sundown, you will be spending your time out of the house.”

Feeling as though he has been defeated, Akira weakly tried once again to retaliate. “Come on Sojiro, there’s no need for this.”

Sojiro put his paper down and went to the pot of curry. He made a plate for himself and Akira. He sat the plates down at the counter and set up the place for them to get ready for their meal. “Eat up, Akira. You have a long day of exploring to do.”

 

The meal was eaten quietly and somewhat quickly. Hoping this was some kind of joke, Akira waited for Sojiro to say nevermind or something, but that never happened. After finishing up, Sojiro gave Akira directions to Central Street, as well as a train pass.

“Now, stop giving me that look Akira, this is for your own good. I don’t want to see you til the sun is setting, alright?” and with that, Akira was ushered out the door.

Akira was at a loss. He has no idea what just happened. He didn’t know what to do, nor know how to go about spending his newly acquired free time. Seeing as he was still new here, he really did not have anyone to spend time with. All of the customers that has been coming to the Café was older than him. Even so, he hasn’t really been putting in an effort in making friends.

_‘Spending a whole day out, huh… what am I going to do.’_

He knows Sojiro means well, he just wished he could have gone about it in a different way. _‘Well, let’s get this day started.’_ Akira looked down at his phone and started to make his way to the train station. He was hoping that there was more to do in Central Street. On his way to the station, he saw an alleyway that lead to a door. Above the door read ‘Bathhouse’. Feeling slighted by this establishment that has called him out earlier, Akira made a mental note of its location and continued on his way to the station.

 

The ride wasn’t all that long, but it was very crowded. Akira knew a lot of people lived in Shibuya, but he was not prepared for the rush of people there was in the morning commute. He was suddenly very thankful that when he first came, he was riding the afternoon trains.

Soon he was in Central Street, and just like the trains, there was a ton of people here as well. Business men and women, high schoolers making their way to school, and people just walking around. It was just like the first day he came to Shibuya, overwhelming and full of people. After admiring the scene, he followed the directions to Central street to see what has there.

Akira soon found his way to a street that was filled with stores. As he walked down the street, he saw that there was a lot to shop from. A CD/DVD Store, a bookstore, and so much more. There was even a theater at the end of the street, as well as an arcade. It was almost overwhelming what all you could do here. Akira accidently made a turn down an alleyway. In it, he found an airsoft store. It felt a little shady, but Akira kept it in mind and decided he would come back to it after he had a look around first. He continued to walk around and explore the lively street.

 

            It was barely afternoon, and Akira was already feeling too overwhelmed by the city. He’s used to his quiet hometown area, thus the reason why Akira was so much comfortable back at the café. It was quiet and calming. Here, it was loud and busy. People were dashing back and forth and there was noise everywhere he went. Akira found a bench and sat down to calm himself down.

_‘There’s so much to do here. How can someone just make up their minds.’_

Akira was amazed by everything about this city, but one thought lingered in his mind, money. He took out his wallet and saw how little money he actually has. Luckily, Sojiro pays him daily, but it’s not a lot of money. And knowing how expensive things can be, he would be flat broke in no time. He saw that there is a couple of places looking for part time workers. He may find a night job. But for right now, he wanted to find something to do. There was still a lot of time left before he was allowed back into the café. Akira also thought about what Sojiro said ealier about him being out the house after 3pm. He needed to find a time waster, so that he wasn’t just sitting about everyday.

 _‘Let’s see if there is anything cheap I could do around here.’_ He remembered passing by a gym earlier when he was wondering around, so he decided to head there first.

 

            He found his way back to the gym. He walked in and was hit with the strong scent of sweat. There was a few people working out there, but the place didn’t seem too busy. A lot of the equipment seemed unused, and there was a couple with caution tape around it. The gym overall did not seem too run down, but it looked like it could have seen better days.

He made his way to the front desk, and the young employee sitting behind it, looking bored as she was staring at a computer monitor. When Akira walked up to the counter, the young girl bounced up in surprise, and straighten her appearance.

“Hello sir! Welcome to Protein Lovers Gym! Is this your first time here?” the employee’s voice was loud, preppy, and a bit pitched, Akira guessed that the girl was about high school aged.

“Uh, yeah actually. This is my first time. What is it like here?” The young girl bound to her feet and walked around the desk to get beside Akira. She then motioned for Akira to follow her.

“Here, let me show you around, sir.”

 

The rest of the gym looked like what the first appearances gave Akira, run down, but functional. It was a bit of a small gym , yet there was still a surprising amount of stuff to do. There was a weight room and a cardio room. There was also a locker room towards the back of the gym, and they were equipped with showers. After seeing all of what was to be offered, they made their way back to the front desk.

“And that’s the end of the tour! Are you interested?” The young girl pulled out a pamphlet with a chart printed on it. On the chart read different prices and different benefits.

“Yeah, I am. It’s just…” Akira thoughts went back to money. He wants to start going here. It would be a good way to waste time outside of La Blanc, but will he be able to keep up with payments. “I don’t know if I can afford coming here…”

“Our gym is catered towards high schoolers and college students. We do our best to find prices that can fit your budget. Also…” The girl smiled and pointed to spot on the pamphlet. “There’s a special discount for first timers.”

Instantly, Akira was sold.

 

Akira made his payments, signed some paperwork, and was handed a new membership card. Satisfied, Akira waved to the girl and turned to leave the gym.

“I’ll be back tomorrow. Thank you for showing me around.”

“No problem. See you tomorrow Mr. Kurusu!”

Feeling rejuvenated by his accomplishments, Akira decided to walk around a little bit more before heading home. He went into the airsoft shop, but quickly left after browsing for a bit. The man sitting behind the counter looked very intimidating and he gave the store a bit of an eerie vibe. He was on his way back to the train station, when he heard a man giving a speech about something. He sat and listen to the man speak for a bit. He had a lot to say, and what he was saying was actually very interesting. Sadly, people didn’t pay the man much mind, and just walked by as if nothing was happening. Akira thought the man was very determined. Despite everyone ignoring him, he still stood there and told his speech. After that, he saw that it was almost 4pm. Deciding that he has spent enough time outside, he went back home.

 

“There’s still a bit of light outside, but I’ll let it slide for today.” Sojiro said as Akira walked into La Blanc. Akira sat his bag down beside him as he took a seat on one of the stools. He was exhausted from walking around all day and was happy to finally be in the café again. Sojiro dished him a plate of curry and a cup of coffee. “So, what did you do?”

“Well, first of all, I now know where the bathhouse is,” Akira said with a joking tone. “as well as knowing there’s a laundromat right next door to it.”

“Heh, that’s a start.”

“And,” Akira pulls his new membership card out of his pocket and sat it on the counter, “I am now a member of Protein Lovers Gym.”

“Great job!” Sojiro came around the counter and patted the boy on his shoulder. He was genuinely happy that Akira is finally going to start getting out of the house more often. “Was is hard to navigate around? Tell me more about your time in Central Street.”

Akira spent the majority of the next few hours talking about what all he saw and did throughout the day. He talked about his bewilderment with the size of the area. His complaints with the amount of people in the city, the Politian man he saw, and much more. They stayed on the conversation for hours. By the time were done talking, it was closing time.

“Well, I can rest more easily now knowing that you have something else to do, rather than work and sleep. Alright, enough gawking, help me close up shop.” They then spent the rest of the time cleaning the shop. After that, Sojiro congratulated Akira again and went home. Akira went to sleep that night, excited for the next day.

 

The next day came around. Morning went by in a flash, it seemed like, and it was time for Akira to get off on work. He went upstairs and packed a small bag with his workout clothes. He ran back down and said goodbye to Sojiro. As he leaving, Futaba made her way into La Blanc. She kept her gaze down, and still did not respond to Akira when he said hi.

 _‘One day, Futaba… one day.’_ And then Akira made his way to the gym.

 

He got there and saw that the same employee from yesterday was sitting there. She didn’t seem as cheerful and bright as she was yesterday. This time, she keeps looking towards the cardio room with worry and annoyance. However, as soon as Akira walked up to the desk, her whole demeanor had changed back to the one from the previous day.

“Hmmm… Oh! Hello Mr. Kurusu, ready to start your first day of working out?”

“Yes, I am.” He handed her his membership card and she signed him in. _‘They seem a bit annoyed today, different from how they were acting yesterday. I wonder what changed?’_

Akira made his way to the cardio room and soon discovered the annoyance of the gym. A man with short haired blonde was standing there, yelling and causing a ruckus about one of the machines.

“Dude, are you for real?! This thing is down again?!” The man’s voice was very loud, and one of the other gym employees was trying to calm the man down.

“Ryuji, we’re trying our best to get it fixed, ok?” despites the employee’s best efforts, the blonde man just got louder and more upset.

“Like hell you are! This thing seems to be broken almost everyday!” he looked like he was about to explode with emotions. Akira took a second to think about his choices and tried to walk out of the room. However, he was not as successful as he wanted to be. He back into the doorway and made a bit of clatter. This clatter just so happened to catch the attention of the loud blonde in the room. “Huh?”

The blonde boy takes notice of Akira. Once eye contact was made, the blonde started making his way over to Akira.

Many thoughts were racing through Akira’s head, but the one that spoke the loudest when the blonde stopped in front of him was:

_‘Shit…’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize for the what has happened this week. I know I promised to post Wednesday and Saturday, but my internet has been out all week, and I've been extremely busy. To make it up to you all, I will post today, and do a double upload of chapters 5 and 6 next Wednesday, January 16th.
> 
> Again, I want to apologize for not keeping with the schedule, and I hope that my solution will satisfy everyone.
> 
> Until next time, have a good day!!!
> 
> Update: Jan 15, 2019  
> The two chapters won't be done by tomorrow. If it's not up by tomorrow evening, I will upload them Thursday morning. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. The first day of classes turned out to be very taxing on me.


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